Category Archives: Evangelism

Lord Is This A Sign?

Norman Cates shared the humorous story of a guy who prayed this prayer every morning: “Lord, if you want me to witness to someone today, please give me a sign to show me who it is.” One day he found himself on a bus when a big, burly man sat next to him. The bus was nearly empty but this guy sat next to our praying friend.

The timid Christian anxiously waited for his stop so he could exit the bus. But before he could get very nervous about the man next to him, the big guy burst into tears and began to weep. He then cried out with a loud voice, “I need to be saved. I’m a lost sinner and I need the Lord. Won’t somebody tell me how to be saved?” He turned to the Christian and pleaded, “Can you show me how to be saved?” The believer immediately bowed his head and prayed, “Lord, is this a sign?”

Are you looking for a “sign” to start witnessing? It can be found in Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8.

(Deacon, Jan.-March 1995, p. 34) By way of the Gospel Radio Group

The Maravian Brethren

There was a group of missionaries from a couple of centuries called the Maravian Brethren. They heard of various needs, and two of the most impressive stories, these are young people just like ourselves, with the same hopes and the same desires for comfort and joy. They heard of a leper colony in Africa, where there was a huge wall built around it and it was guarded by soldiers and once you were found to have leprosy you were taken in and you never got out. There were farms, there were shops, and there was a graveyard in there. And these guys asked the obvious question who shares the gospel with them? So they didn’t write books and send them in which they could have. Two of the young men went in and they never came out. That is the level at which they cared. Another couple of the young men, were trying to reach out to the slaves in the Carribbean. And they found that they had no time where they could actually find the slaves and speak to them. So two of them where sold as slaves and they lived and died as slaves. Not just for a week or two, they shared themselves, they went in amongst them. Now I’m not telling you that to make you feel guilty, I’m saying it’s that sort of thing that says I want to be able to reach these people, I want to share myself with them so I can get the gospel to them.

Ian Powell : KYC 1990 “Learning the game by watching others play”

William Booth’s Vision (Founder of Salvation Army)

He had a vision once, William Booth. He tells the story of the time when he was travelling in a coach, and he was thinking about the millions of people in his own country, who lived in opened rebellion against God, addicted to their sin and ignoring Christ. He said that at this moment I had a vision.
“I saw a dark and stormy ocean, over the top were deep dark clouds, and the wind moaned and the waves would rise up, tower, foam, crashing down only to rise up again, and then he said I noticed in the ocean, that it was filled with millions and millions of people. Poor humans screaming, cursing, crying out, dying . Well that was until I noticed that in the middle of the ocean was a mighty rock, rising out of the ocean. All around the base of this rock I saw had been build vast platforms. I noticed with delight that a few of these poor wretches would be washed unto these platforms and climb out to safety. Then I noticed that others who had already been saved in that way, working hard on the platform with ladders, ropes, boats and any other means possible to rescue other. They would sacrifice themselves, endanger their own lives, they were entirely wrapped up in their effort to save others from the dark ocean.
But as I kept looking, I saw that there were a multitude of others, who took no part in the rescue. They were busy with all other kinds of other past times. What puzzled me though is that they themselves had been rescued at onetime, yet they seemed to show no concern for others who were perishing. And this inspite the fact that they regularly attended lectures which told of how awful it was to be unsaved, and how wonderful it was to be safe and on the rock. Some of these people were absorbed in study and business, in order to make great profits which they could store away. Others amused themselves with constant paintings, sports, music, clothing or tours around the Island. Although, those on the platform said that they would obey their Lord, They didn’t seem to hear him calling, calling to them from down in the sea to where he himself had gone.
Anyhow if they did hear him they did not feel as they had time to work with him. And I noticed something very odd indeed. Those people on the platform were always calling on Him to come to them, to make them happier, to assure them that they would never fall off the rock. To answer some doubts and troubles they had with the letters he had sent to them. Sometimes they would get together at the top of the rock and look across to the mainland where they imagined He dwelled, and cry, oh come to us, oh come and bless us please. And all this while this great being was by his spirit, among the poor, blind creatures in the angry deep. Putting his arms around people, pulling and pushing them towards the platform. And as he did so he would look up all so longingly but all so in vain. To those upon the rock, and he would cry out with his voice hoarse from crying, come and help me, come and work with me.
Then I understood. All those in the sea were those cut off from God and perishing. The rock was the cross the only place of safety and forgiveness. And on the rock people used their time and abilities in two basic ways. Either for themselves or the unsaved. They were either passengers or soldiers. My friends do not be deceived by appearances. Men and things are not what they appear to be. If they are not on the rock they are in the sea. Jesus is calling all his people to love as he loves, to see as he sees, to go down to the ocean, to put all they have at his disposal, forget your pride your love of ease, your ambitions, your love of comfort, and come down to where you are needed. We’ve had a very nice time as Christian, much fun, much joyful singing, many nice outings. Go now and tell him that you will heed his voice, and go down and spend yourselves for the perishing.
William Booth finishes up by saying, now what will you do?

I See People Going To Hell

While speaking in London, evangelist D. L. Moody was approached by a British companion who wanted to know the secret of Moody’s success in leading people to Christ. Moody directed the man to his hotel window and asked, “What do you see?” The man looked down on the square and reported a view of crowded streets. Moody suggested he look again. This time the man mentioned seeing people–men, women, and children. Moody then directed him to look a third time, and the man became frustrated that he was not seeing what Moody wanted him to see. The great evangelist came to the window with watery eyes and said, “I see people going to hell without Jesus. Until you see people like that, you will not lead them to Christ.” What do you see in five o’clock traffic, a busy restaurant, a crowded waiting room, your neighborhood, or your extended family?

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All Christians

Mother Teresa:
In India I was asked by some government people, “Don’t you want to make us all Christians?” I said, “Naturally, I would like to give you the treasure I have to you, but I cannot. I can only pray for you to have the courage to receive it.”

Sunday School

“During the war a man lay dying in the trenches. A friend leaned over him and said, ‘Is there anything I can do for you?’

He replied, ‘No I am dying.’

‘Is there anyone I can send a message to for you?’

‘Yes, you can send a message to this man at this address. Tell him that in my last minutes what he taught me as a child is helping me to die.’

The man was his old Sunday School Teacher. When the message got to him, he said, ‘God forgive me. I gave up Sunday School teaching years ago because I thought I was getting nowhere. I thought it was no use.'”

Questions of Life, Nicky Gumble, p200

If We Do Not Speak

Jesus was born in a borrowed manger. He preached from a borrowed boat. He entered Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey. He ate the last supper in a borrowed room. And he was buried in a borrowed tomb. Now he asks to borrow the lives of christians to reach the rest of the world. If we do not speak then he is dumb and silent.

J. John – in UK Focus, Aug 97 (HTB)

Daily doses of penicillin

A helpful analogy of how we share our faith is that of taking daily doses of penicillin in order to remove an infection. Just as taking all the penecillin at once makes little inpact on the infection, so a bombardment of Christian truth rarely has a positive effect on an unchurched friend or family member. It is likely to so more harm than good.

J. John – in UK Focus, Aug 97 (HTB)

Bambi or Rambo

When asking people to church or church functions, chill out about it. Don’t get too intense. Use the Bambi approach, not the Rambo approach.

J. John – in UK Focus, Aug 97 (HTB)

Lost Child

Imagine my wife and I go to Sherward forest for a day’s picnic. At the end of the day, we are packing up and realise we only have one of our sons with us. We’ve lost the other two. “Oh no! What shall we do? Let’s go and look for them.”

We go back into the forest and hunt all over the forest. We find one of them and say, “Oh well, at least we have found one. Let’s go! We lost two, we got one back. You lose 100%, you get 50% back – that’s the way life is. Win some lose some.”

NO! What would we do? We would go back into the forest and we’d search for our lost son until we found our son, alive or dead. We wouldn’t stop.
That’s the heart that the church needs to have as part of this whole thing of being outward looking, to have a heart for the lost. I am not saying that every minute of every hour of every day, we are out seeking the lost, but if that’s the heart of the church, then its troops are going to be active at different times and different places doing this.

UK Focus – Holy Trinity Brompton Mag, Aug 97, J. John

People Watch

John Wesley was asked, “Why are people drawn to you?” and he replied, “When you set yourself on fire, people will come and watch you burn.”

UK Focus – Holy Trinity Brompton Mag, Aug 97, J. John

Being Outward Looking

Sometimes we have the impression that being outward looking means that you put the sign of the fish on your car. All unbelievers who see the fish on the car think we belong to an angling society.

UK Focus – Holy Trinity Brompton Mag, Aug 97, J. John

Commands Obeyed

If there is one commandment that christians have kept, one commandment of Christ that christians have really followed, it is Jesus’ admonition to three disciples, “See that you tell no-one!”

UK Focus – Holy Trinity Brompton Mag, Aug 97, J. John

Arctic Rivers

Many christians today are like artic rivers; they are frozen at the mouth. And many christians today have a ‘Private and confidential’ lable over their faith.

UK Focus – Holy Trinity Brompton Mag, Aug 97, J. John